Learning more about HIV and AIDS

Do you know someone who has HIV or AIDS? This is commonly known to be a condition that does not have a total cure. This is what most individuals don’t like. If you have this you will probably be in controversy among people. Some are rejected by their friends because of such a condition.

Do you want to know about HIV and AIDS? Let us start by knowing the difference between AIDS and HIV. Do you think both are the same? Let’s find out. AIDS mean Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. From the word acquired it means that it is passed to individuals through direct or indirect contact excluding genetic and inborn. In this case, the individual is having a low immune system meaning he or she is very prone to different infections. It is also stated that it is a syndrome, meaning it has numerous signs and symptoms. Next is HIV. This means Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is a type of virus that can eventually trigger AIDS. This virus is capable of destroying the immune system of our body. It requires a lot of time before an infected person will show its signs and symptoms. This will result to further transmission of the virus. The person may think that he is not infected where, in fact, he is.

Let us understand how HIV attacks our body. When the virus is already present in our system it will destroy several types of cells. Mostly, it attacks cells that are part of the immune system. The virus will eventually stick itself to a molecule called the CD4. As the virus enters its surface it will release its genetic material responsible for its replication. In a certain period, the invaded cell will die and the new HIV cell is produced. This process is rapid that our immune system can no longer fight the invading microorganism.

Now we know how the virus acts on our body. Let’s now familiarize the different signs and symptoms of this condition. Actually, an infected individual will stay free from manifestations and may even appear like a healthy normal person. As the period of invasion progresses, the person will gradually experience loss of memory, disturbed gait, sleep cycle alterations, and even depression… In cases of a severe condition of this disease the person may require absolute treatment. In Human Immunodeficiency Virus, there are so called minor and major signs. The minor signs would include coughing persistently for about a month or two, having a herpes zoster, having herpes simplex, and general pruritic dermatitis. On the other hand, the major signs would include sudden weight loss, diarrhea for a long period, and chronic fever that may be due to some infection in the system.

Do you know what are the common signs and symptoms of Acquired Immunodeficiency Virus and Human Immunodeficiency virus? Always remember these signs and symptoms are not confirmatory manifestations of the condition. The symptoms include depression, loss of weight, general weakness, nausea and vomiting, Candida Albicans, and diarrhea. Because of low immune system status, it would be easy for opportunistic infections to set in the body system. Let us know these infections. It includes the bacterial infections (example: tuberculosis), viral infections (example: hepatitis), fungal infections (example: Candidiasis), pneumonia infections (example: Bacterial pneumonia), and parasitic infection (example: Toxoplasmosis). What are the modes of transmission of this disease? It can be transferred by an infected person to another individual through sexual intercourse, blood transfers, maternal to fetal circulation.

There are risk factors for having such a condition. This includes the reusing of needles, unscreened blood transfusion, donation of organ, exposure to some places. How to know if you are having this kind of disease? Actually there are a lot of diagnostic procedures for this condition but despite it, the best thing you can do is to have a confirmatory test. This test is called the Western blot analysis. This will save time and money. Just be practical enough. What is the treatment? Your doctor would probably prescribe you with Anteroviral drugs. Remember that this drug will not cure HIV or AIDS. It will just decrease the reproduction rate of the virus. All types of virus cannot be killed by medications.

AIDS: A Worldwide Concern

Each year, mortality rates for AIDS or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome is constantly increasing. It has affected millions of individuals all throughout the entire globe. It affects all individuals including children. Africa is the continent mostly affected by this disease. It is said that the first recorded case was from Los Angeles and was finally traced by experts that its origin is the continent of Africa. At this time, experts are trying to discover treatments for this disease but until now there is still no known cure for AIDS.

AIDS is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. A person infected with this virus usually appears asymptomatic for a longer period of time, and it slowly suppresses the immune system of infected patients. Once the immune system of those infected with the virus becomes too weak, opportunistic infections might occur and cause further damage to the health of the patient. A patient will be considered infected with AIDS if his CD4+ T cell count lowers to 200. If the CD4+ count is above 200, it is still considered as HIV. The CD4+ count will determine the status of the patient’s immune system.

There are many ways to diagnose HIV and AIDS. The first one is the HIV antibody test. Those infected with the virus produced antibodies to HIV in the blood. If an individual who submits himself to HIV antibody test will definitely have negative results if he does this during the window period of the disease which is 21 days to 6 months. This does not mean that the patient is not infected of the virus it only shows that the body has not produced the antibodies yet. Therefore, the patient should continue taking precautions. This is not the confirmatory test for HIV. A more accurate diagnostic test is the Western Blot Test. It is a confirmatory test to HIV, which supports the HIV Antibody test. There is also a diagnostic test specific for infants; PCR or polymerase chain reaction can be utilized.

AIDS is a syndrome. Therefore, it is a mix of signs and symptoms. These symptoms are the result of the impairment in the immune system. Common signs and symptoms include sinus infection, depression, persistent diarrhea, Kaposi’s sarcoma and lymphadenopathy. There are still other signs and symptoms depending on the type of opportunistic infection that the patient has acquired after his immune system became impaired. There are treatments available nowadays that slow the progression of the disease, and it has been of great help to patients that are affected. It is very expensive though and limited in distribution that is why others are unable to benefit from these treatments. There are even celebrities who are infected with HIV and their condition did not progress to AIDS because of their treatment regimen.

There are a lot of ways to acquire the virus. The most common is through sexual intercourse, being pricked by a needle that is infected and blood transfusion. It is best for people to know and understand how the virus is being transmitted so that they will be aware on how to prevent acquisition of the disease. Pregnant women that are infected with the virus usually infect their baby with HIV. This disease is indeed highly infectious.

The world has organized programs to help solve the problem with regards to the increasing number of individuals who acquire the disease. The campaign for the awareness and maturity of people to deal with the disease is being strengthened by certain groups. Even celebrities are urging people to practice safe sex and use preventive measures to prevent the spread of the disease. It is a pandemic already and instead of discriminating persons with HIV it is best to offer them emotional support because these patients are feeling so down, and they need to be educated so that they will not engage in activities that will spread the virus. There are still millions of individuals who are not aware of this condition, and it is best to participate in programs that will help increase the awareness regarding the effects of having the disease. It might be difficult to eradicate this disease but a simple sense of responsibility will definitely cause a change.

In the Midst of Agony

AIDS – Acquire Immune Deficiency Syndrome, the epidemic that has caused extreme agony in Africa. As global trends for this disease rise, the continent is facing a more challenging course. The number of people living with HIV has risen from around 8 million in 1990 to 33 million today, and is still growing, 67% of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that adults living with AIDS are to be around 30.8 million, women accounting to 15.5 million, and around 11.6 million children being orphaned because of AIDS. The statistics may be shocking, but it is important to introduce ourselves to the causes of this condition that defiled the global community.

AIDS is an advanced HIV virus infection wherein the number of immune system cells, CD4 in the blood drops to a certain level as being attacked. As this virus gradually and progressively attacks the immune system cells, the body can become more vulnerable to infections. This virus is not transmitted through food, mosquitoes or even in close contact with an HIV-positive person. Many would think that it’s only cause is unprotected vaginal, oral, anal, and unsafe sex. However, why are children infected? Why are the sexually inactive people still infected? It is caused by the usage of HIV-infected syringes or needles. Mother to baby transmission during pregnancy or childbirth is also possible as HIV virus can be transmitted through drinking breast milk.

As this virus spread like wild fire across the world, shrinking it to a global village, third-world countries are much more affected than first-world countries. Why is this so? This is due to the lack of funds, support, and attention given by the government. It is the governance of the region that is prolonging the agony. As former President Mbeki consistently refused to acknowledge that HIV is the cause of AIDS, having no thorough study in his theories, he argued that HIV is just one factor amongst many that might contribute to deaths resulting from immune deficiency, alongside others such as poverty and poor nutrition. Similarly, Yahya Jammeh, the president of Gambia, claims that he has discovered a cure for AIDS. Having no medical degree, being only a former army colonel, declares that this herbal medication as revealed by his ancestors in his dreams is the panacea for AIDS. It is in this outlook that slows the provision of antiretroviral drugs in Africa. As the only recognized drug to significantly delay the progression of HIV to AIDS, antiretroviral (ARV) drugs allow people living with HIV live relatively normal and healthy lives. Yet because of the lack of support by the political bodies in the region, the distribution of this drug has been inadequate; there has been poor medical education and health awareness; severe deprivation of healthcare infrastructure; and an insufficient number of medical professionals to tender these people requiring treatment. Take note that medical treatment doesn’t only involve taking these antiretroviral drugs but counseling and testing, food management nutrition, protection from stigma and discrimination, treatment of other sexually transmitted infections, and the prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections.

In response to the unresponsive governance in Africa, global organizations such as the United Nations and US President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Global Fund to fight AIDS in numerous countries. Other organizations such as AidsandAfrica, use the internet as a medium to encourage people to be proactive in fighting AIDS. As Africans become aware and vigilant to the distressing condition, local association about are now becoming vigorous such as Children in Distress (CINDI), focused on helping meet the needs of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS; The Kenneth Kaunda Children of Africa Foundation, by former President Kenneth Kaunda, which supports independent low-cost HIV testing and counseling Clinic; The Luke Society of Uganda dedicated to help HIV-positive convalescents susceptible to pneumonia, tuberculosis, malaria, and related infections; and AIDS Orphans Education Trust(AOET) committed in providing formal and vocation education to the underprivileged orphans.

In the midst of agony and devastation, one action can make a difference, one voice can be audible. So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.